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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2021)
SATURDAY EDITION | JUNE 26 2021 | $1.00 THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SN Siuslaw News Dunes City approves $761,201 budget for FY 2021-22 Siuslaw News NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY VOL. 131, NO. 51 J UNE 26 2021 F LORENCE , O REGON A sign for the sand WEATHER Partly cloudy with a high of 68 and a low of 57. Full forecast on A3 By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News “We have a short presentation this evening to give you an over- view and background of the Float- ing Offshore Wind Energy pro- gram and its authorization process, and to give you an introduction to the offshore wind planning efforts that are currently underway,” Hau- er said. The overview included the ear- ly planning stages of an ambitious vision which would harness wind energy for commercial and resi- dential use. On June 23, the Dunes City Council meeting took place with all councilors in actual physical attendance at Dunes City Hall for the first time in more than a year. Among the agenda for council- ors to consider was discussion of two important issues submitted for action by City Administrator Jaime Mills, Resolution Series 2021, No.2 and Resolution Series 2021, No. 3. The meeting was brought to order by Mayor Robert Forsythe, who asked for acceptance of the consent agenda, which he re- ceived. Mills then made a brief report sharing the information that the state will attempt to increase their share of the revenue from cannabis sales and the fact that Dunes City will now be accepting unused medications for return to state authorities, at no cost to the consumer. Next, councilors considered Resolution No. 2, which certifies Dunes City will provide four ser- vices from a larger group required by the state, in order to be eligible to receive state revenue. “According to state law, cities have to provide four services as listed with legislation in order to receive state funds,” Mills said. There were no public com- ments regarding the resolution, which declared the following four services would be forwarded to state authorities as available to residents: 1) Enhanced Fire Protection 2) Street construction, mainte- nance and lighting. 3) Storm sewers 4) Water utility service See FLORENCE page 6A See DUNES page 5A Story & Photos By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Beach exposed at Exploding Whale Park causes trouble at low tide F COMMUNITY LRP’s ‘Monologues’ brings back theater INSIDE — A3 SPORTS l o r e n c e’s n e w e s t park, the Exploding Whale Memorial Park on Rhododendron Drive, has developed a cause for concern for some of those visiting the river- side park. The park provides ac- cess to the Siuslaw River, trails, a lawn and a cov- ered picnic area, as well as views of the Oregon dunes and the historic Siuslaw River Bridge. However, some park visitors wan- dering along the river have expe- rienced a troubling situation when The City of Florence is going to install new warning signs for soft sand and mud at Exploding Whale Park. “I was walking along the Siuslaw River at the entrance of the Explod- ing Whale Park and it was a very low tide, so the tide is low. I stayed on the dry sand near the One of those individuals was beach grass,” she said. “To return area resident Debbie Sheehan, who to my car, I decided to walk along had to call 9-1-1 during a recent visit. See SAND page 5A Florence hears about wind energy City council approves items at June 21 meeting being decided with only four votes cast by council members. The first presentation of the eve- ning was given by Whitney Hauer, from the Oregon Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and Andy Lanier, representing the Ore- gon Department of Land Conser- vation and Development. The presentation was the initial public contact between the City of Florence and the state regarding fu- ture programs which would design, place and maintain an offshore wind generation system some- where along the Oregon coast. By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News The Florence City Council had a busy meeting on Monday evening as there were presentations from two organizations to councilors and a long list of consent agenda items to consider. The council con- tinues to meet virtually. Mayor Joe Henry brought the meeting to order, with all council- ors in virtual attendance, although Councilor Bill Meyer was absent for the later parts of the meeting. This absence led to some issues A sports year in review INSIDE — B RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 SIDE SHOW Activities and comics every Saturday Inside — B4 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B5 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM ‘Keep it legal, keep it safe’ with fireworks Drought conditions across state prompt fire marshal to ask people to keep safety in mind S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2021 The Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM), the Oregon Fire Service, natural resource agen- cies and Oregon licensed fireworks wholesalers ask Oregonians to “keep it legal and keep it safe” when using all fireworks. The OSFM and its partners want everyone to know what fireworks are legal to use in Oregon without a permit, where res- idents can use them, and how to use fireworks safely. The 2021 Oregon fireworks retail sales season opened June 23 and runs through July 6. In 2020, the U.S. saw a record-set- ting year when it comes to the con- sumption of fireworks. Americans consumed 385.8 million pounds Enter the... of fireworks, a 55 percent increase from the previous year. According to the Consumer Prod- uct Safety Commission, nationwide, children 0 to 4 years old are injured by fireworks and treated at an emer- gency department more than any other age group, 5.3 injuries per 100,000 people. Older teens, 15 to 19 years old, have the second-highest injury rate, 4.4 injuries per 100,000 people. Males represent 66 percent of all firework-related injuries. Between 2016 and 2020 in Or- egon, Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Lane counties have had the highest rates of firework-re- lated injuries. With an arid spring, much of In Oregon, residents and visitors can only purchase consumer-legal fireworks from permitted fireworks retailers and stands. State regula- tions limit where those fireworks may be used. Fireworks can also start structural fires that threaten lives and property. People who plan to visit public lands and parks for the July 4 holiday are asked to leave all fireworks at home. The use of fireworks is prohibited in national parks and forests, on Bu- reau of Land Management lands, on U.S. Fish and Wildlife properties, on state beaches, in state parks and in state campgrounds. See FIREWORKS page 6A FIRST WEIGH-IN JULY 14TH (MANDATORY!) Sponsored by: Challenge Oregon experiencing some form of drought, and concerns over an active wildfire season, the OSFM is asking people to be aware of the dry conditions. Always have a bucket of water on hand to drown spent or used fireworks, have a charged hose nearby, and never light fireworks near dry grass or areas that could catch fire easily. “We ask that those using fire- works be responsible when using them,” OSFM Assistant Chief Dep- uty Mark Johnston said. “Every year across the state, we see fires sparked because of improper use or use of illegal fireworks. Our message is to ‘keep it legal and keep it safe’ as peo- ple celebrate the holiday.” Siuslaw News 148 Maple St., Florence 2285 Hwy. 101, Florence 541-997-8086 Details inside today’s issue or online anytime at www.thesiuslawnews.com.
